Hold off on that Blu-ray player purchase

Now that there is no longer any war between HD DVD and Blu-ray for format rights, you probably think it’s time you upgraded your standard DVD to Blu-ray, right? Well, an article by Troy Wolverton of the Mercury News might have you re-think that logic. Wolverton says it’s probably best for consumers to wait a little longer before purchasing a Blu-ray player.

One of reasons is that Wolverton believes that Blu-ray prices will continue to fall. He estimates they will fall as much as US$100 by the holiday season. The price will continue to fall as more manufacturers begin to make Blu-ray players. Another reason to hold off is that there are only 500 movies available in Blu-ray right now. Waiting a little longer means you will have more movies to choose from for your Blu-ray enjoyment.

Wolverton suggests that consumers should, for now, invest in one of the “upscaling” DVD players that are available. These are the players that can make your existing DVD movies that much clearer without the Blu-ray price. Since these players are about US$100 or less, it’s also a much more affordable option.

I tend to agree with Wolverton. I think there is still a little honeymoon for Blu-ray. I expect this holiday season to begin the real adoption of the technology with more of a mass adoption during the holidays in 2009. Why? There will be plenty of manufacturers by then, and prices will more than likely be below the US$200 mark for players–perhaps even cheaper. Hopefully, the cost of the Blu-ray movies will follow suit as well. They are still pretty expensive compared to regular DVDs.

Speak Your Mind

warthan58

I work for a Pro Video manufacturer. HD is our bread and butter. So listen to my crystal ball:

ATSC, the new HD standard, rolls out Feb 2009. The technology is still settling in. So wait until after Feb, then buy the best 1080p Sony with the latest XBR you can get. The interpolating software is what you're really paying for. Also, hold off on the BD, it's still has a way to go before it's all settled, and there's a chance (however low) that it may not even stick.

If you've been to the NAB, CES, and what not, then you've seen that there's a lot of technology going into HD delivery and storage. There's going to be HD for satellite and cable, and hard-drives in the receivers for DVR functionality. In a few years, we'll have Gigabit Internet,the HD library will be stored centrally, and delivered over the internet, satellite, and cable; you'll be able to switch providers and take you're virtual library with you. So in the end, the disc will cost $40, but the virtual disk will cost $15.

iturk

I can't watch the alternate ending to "I am Legend" without a Blue Ray disc. I guess this is how they will try and force feed us this technology. Buy a PS3 now and enjoy all movie versions and games. If you can stand to be left out, then wait for Xmas.